Kimberly+Rotter+LMF

//Learning Motivation and Fun//
 //View// the assignment page //for a more detailed explanation of this project.

In this exercise, you'll collect data from our database of interviews about fun and learning. Use this template and the data to create 5 generalizations for what you observed. Your generalizations should answer the questions//
 * //What makes learning fun and engaging?//
 * //What are the implications for your own teaching and design work//

3) High school students almost universally reported that physical activity was an element in the experiences they called "fun".//** //Bill W, for example described learning beginning archery skills at boy scout camp. Sallie Forth recalled a social studies class in which "we recreated in chicken wire and paper mache the battlefield at Shiloh and spent several class periods reconstructing the events there." All together there were 24 experiences that took place during high school years and all but 1 included physical activity. In most cases (19 out of 24) these activities also required creative or critical thinking.//
 * //Example:

What are your 5 generalizations?
Approximately the same number of females and males described a fun learning activity that involved a high degree of physical activity. Many people enjoy learning by doing, even when the task is difficult. Casey, age 22, describes trying wakesurfing. She describes trying again and again, enjoying the activity even though it was challenging and the failure rate was high. Asu described an activity she experienced at age 12 in which she and other students performed a skit to learn English. Of all the LMF videos, 37% of the females and 40% of the males described a highly physical activity. It should be noted that not all of these “highly” physical activities were athletic or required any skill or strength, but only that the participants actually DO something while they are learning. As I design my own games, I do not need modify my design based on the gender breakdown of the group of players.
 * 1. Males and females are equally likely to enjoy highly physical learning activities.**

From the total collection of videos, 52% of all learners between 20 and 29 years old described their activity as highly physical. Eric, age 22, enthusiastically describes a nighttime college field trip during which he and his classmates carefully trapped rodents to identify their species. Krista noted that she shared her highly physical learning experience with her USMC husband, and that part of the fun was the role-trading element of the activity. If I design a game with this age group in mind, I would give serious consideration to requiring a high degree of of physical participation.
 * 2. Learners in their 20s are more likely than learners in other age groups to describe fun learning experiences that are highly physical.**

Many students described having fun in activities that did not involve completion. Only 6 of the 29 males who described highly physical learning activities also reported a high level of competition. In other words, for any game we design, having winners and losers is not a necessary element. Avni, age 16, had a great deal of fun in a formal classroom setting in which the students had a great deal of freedom to choose what they wanted to learn, but there was no demand for achievement at any specific level. Dayna, age 13, also described an activity in which she felt successful, without regard to the accomplishments of the other learners.
 * 3. Competition is not a critical element in making the activity fun.**

Thank goodness this is true, as this is my challenge – to make career-oriented content (often quite boring) fun and engaging to learn. 90 of 165 learners, or 55%, classified their fun learning experience as academic or career oriented, as opposed to something they learned just for fun. Jared, age 25, describes a work-sponsored team-building activity that successfully utilized the different strengths of the different team members. Jared goes on to note that several long-lasting friendships were born during this activity. Torrey, a senior in high school, describes a school project that she was completely absorbed in and engaged by, noting that working with friends was a key element in making the activity fun.
 * 4. Academic and career-oriented content can be fun and memorable.**

About 72% of all the interviewees noted that the degree to which the teacher was warm and friendly was medium or higher. Mary, age 42, describes her instructor as “very good natured” and possessing a casual manner. Learners who learned informally, such as from a friend or relative, also noted that this was a key element in making their experience a positive one (Casey – learned wakesurfing from a friend; Whitney – learned mountain bike descent from an uncle). In short, if the student feels no pressure or intimidation from the teacher, the activity is more likely to be enjoyable.
 * 5. Students are more likely to consider the activity fun if the teacher is warm and friendly.**